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| Melissa Singh |
| A dolphin swimming along Peru's coast. |
By Melissa Singh and Jordan Taylor
In late February of 2007, HSI and Mundo Azul hosted a conference in Lima that brought together small scale fishermen and Peruvian government officials alike to develop a national strategy to establish a responsible whale and dolphin watching industry in the country. The U.S. Department of State sponsored the conference.
Peru banned dolphin killing in 1996, but poverty and a lack of law enforcement resources in fishing communities have combined to allow the continued killing of dolphins along Peru's extensive Pacific coastline. Each year, an estimated 3,000 dolphins are killed and sold illegally as "muchame" or "chancho marino," local terms for dolphin meat, in fish markets throughout coastal cities like Lima, Trujillo and Chimbote.
To stem the practice of killing dolphins, Humane Society International teamed up with Association Mundo Azul—a Peruvian environmental organization—and other partners to promote "dolphin tourism" with local fishermen as an alternative source of income.
Today, whale and dolphin watching tourism is a worldwide $1 billion dollar industry attracting nine million whale watchers in 87 countries. In the last two years, HSI and our partners have encouraged cooperation between the Peruvian government and local fishing communities to raise awareness about the importance of the country's coastal resources and to develop a Peruvian whale and dolphin watching industry.
At the conferences, around 80 tour guide operators, fishermen, members of the hospitality industry, representatives of non-governmental organizations and officers from Peru's ecological police force attended the conference and left with the intention of putting the national strategy to use.
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| Melissa Singh |
HSI Marine Mammal scientist Naomi Rose
at the conference. |
Experts from HSI and from across the region gave practical advice on how conservation and tourism can work hand-in-hand, and presented lessons learned from whale and dolphin watching tourism developed in communities around the world.
The keynote speaker, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and Fisheries David Balton, highlighted efforts by the U.S. government to encourage marine mammal protection in the United States, Peru and around the world. Mr. Balton also encouraged the participants to take action and to continue building on the conference to promote the protection of Peru's marine resources.
By all accounts the conference was successful in encouraging both the Peruvian government and participants from fishing communities to promote the creation of a responsible and sustainable whale and dolphin watching industry in the country. Moreover, HSI and our partners were encouraged by the participation of the local government officials and their interest in strengthening the enforcement of Peruvian laws regarding the conservation of coastal resources including marine mammals.
It is our hope that the exchange of ideas begun at the conference will serve as a stepping stone to help Peru take advantage of this expanding and lucrative industry as an alternative to killing dolphins.
Melissa Singh serves as Deputy Director for Trade Capacity Building, and Jordan Taylor serves as Deputy Counsel for International Trade Policy at Humane Society International.
